Originating from two of the most musically isolated parts of Australia, Perth rapper Coin (of The Stoops / Coin & Taku) and Tasmanian DJ/producer Akouo (Javs & Akouo) have been quietly building a cache of sounds that blend neo-soul, backpack rap and eclectic rhythms.
The duo draw inspiration from a range of influences, from hip hop producers such as J Dilla, Pete Rock, Hitek, Exile and 20Syl to neo-soul figures like Amp Fiddler, Erykah Badu and Common. As a member of The Stoops, Coin collaborated with producer J Squared (Illy / Beathedz / Spit Syndicate) on their album Stoop Squared. It was soon followed up his album Home, a collaboration with future beats producer Taku (Raashan Ahmad/Miles Bonny). Coin’s work on The Stoops infectious summer anthem Free featuring 2010 Wam Song of the Year winner Georgi Kay was met with critical acclaim, earning The Stoops a strong run of festival shows and international support slots including Pete Rock, Kurtis Blow and LoopTroop throughout 2011.
Akouo builds musical soundscapes that encompass soulful melodies, unique beats and jazzy bass lines. His debut album Outwit The Muscle featured as Triple J Hip Hop Show ’Album of the Week‘ and it’s single Lazy Days collected strong rotation on triple j radio. His works include collaboration with artists such as Class A, Chance Waters and Dunn D. In 2010, Akouo released a collaborative EP with US MC Javs (DJ Bonez/Jase).
First things first – it’s pronounced muh-DOO-soo, & it’s spelled M-D-U-S-U , lets just call the MC/producer from Hobart Duse or MD. Duse has recently released a ‘name your price’ EP titled the 88 1/2 EP. The Tape Death Collective member catches up with aahh to talk about the new EP.
What brought about the newEP? Basically, I’d spent the past year working like a madman on beats, rhymes, session muso work & post-production for a heap of cats (no arrogance, but I can almost guarantee that if you like hip hop from Australia, you’ve heard my work this year). I also joined the Tape Death production crew (all day, erryday!) & dropped a few instrumental & remix albums, but it’s been quite a while since I’d done anything as a rapper with my name on the cover. I pretty much woke up one day & thought “fuck it, let’s see how quickly I can write, record, mix & release an EP”, so I went through my archives of beats & raps, picked a bunch that still sounded fresh, & wrote the rest of it during a 48 hour bender on the contraband.
Tell us about some of the tracks and features found on the EP? A couple of the tracks (‘Four Hunnid’ & ‘Scarborough St’) were verses that I’d already uploaded to FB before, so it was just a case of re-recording the vox & tweaking the beats (‘Scarborough St’ has a new beat, as the OG track was just me spitting over the ‘Funky Drummer’ loop). The Class A & BVA features used verses of theirs that I’ve had for a minute now. The raps are still fire today, but the OG beats for those tracks sounded a little dated, so I whipped up a pair of new head-nodders for the vox, then hit them both up to see if they felt the v2.0 tracks. Luckily, they were both gracious enough to let me proceed with them, as I love both of those tracks now. As for the Rigby, Wiz Kid & Dunn D features, they’re my people down here in the HBT (Rigby’s my lil’ sis), so it was pretty much inevitable that we were gonna work on some ish together. Because we’ve all done so many shows with each other, we can get straight to the point in the lab, & get awesome tings done in a short space of time.
As soon as I wrote the beat for ‘Spread The News Around’, I knew that I wanted Dunn & Rigby on there with me. It only took 2 hours for Dunn to write & record his vocal (dude is a machine when it comes to hammering out quality verses), & about half an hour (if that) for Rigby to lay down the harmonies. Same deal with Wiz Kid – dude is a dope song-writer as well as a singer, so the only reason it takes us any time in the lab is that we’re trying out a million different ways the song could go. Originally, I was gonna get him in to co-write a hook for ‘Basin St Blues’, but I decided to keep the outro blank while I was editing the clip for it. A homie heard the ‘Doobie Brothers’ beat & commented that singing would suit it, so I wrote a quick hook & Anton KILLED it.
What can we expect from yourself in the next few months? I’ve got some more ish dropping soon – an album with my crew ‘Mic Dons’, a couple more producer/remix projects, & then my solo LP Ex-Samples will FINALLY see the light of day this year. Cheers for listening, MD.
Originating from two of the most musically isolated parts of Australia, Perth rapper Coin (of The Stoops / Coin & Taku) and Tasmanian DJ/producer Akouo (Javs & Akouo) have been quietly building a cache of sounds that blend neo-soul, backpack rap and eclectic rhythms.
The duo draw inspiration from a range of influences, from hip hop producers such as J Dilla, Pete Rock, Hitek, Exile and 20Syl to neo-soul figures like Amp Fiddler, Erykah Badu and Common. As a member of The Stoops, Coin collaborated with producer J Squared (Illy / Beathedz / Spit Syndicate) on their album Stoop Squared. It was soon followed up his album Home, a collaboration with future beats producer Taku (Raashan Ahmad/Miles Bonny). Coin’s work on The Stoops infectious summer anthem Free featuring 2010 Wam Song of the Year winner Georgi Kay was met with critical acclaim, earning The Stoops a strong run of festival shows and international support slots including Pete Rock, Kurtis Blow and LoopTroop throughout 2011.
Akouo builds musical soundscapes that encompass soulful melodies, unique beats and jazzy bass lines. His debut album Outwit The Muscle featured as Triple J Hip Hop Show ‘Album of the Week‘ and it’s single Lazy Days collected strong rotation on triple j radio. His works include collaboration with artists such as Class A, Chance Waters and Dunn D. In 2010, Akouo released a collaborative EP with US MC Javs (DJ Bonez/Jase).
Having dropped her exciting debut album Me, Me, Me and Him: The Secret Life of a Receptionist last year, Melbourne MC Class A is back and shows no sign of slowing down as she reveals new single Never featuring Ishu.
Her last record saw her collaborating with Aussie hip hop heroes M-Phazes, BVA, Urban Monk and Doc Felix, which gained loads of local buzz and saw her truly cement her position within the Australian hip hop scene. She’s shared the stage with the likes of Dilated Peoples, Jean Grae, Talib Kweli, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious) and J-Live, as well as national stalwarts The Hilltop Hoods, Urthboy, Mantra & Ozi Batla. The new track signals the beginning of a new direction for Class A, with a shady, moody electro beat coupled with Class A’s trademark, mellifluous flow. The track also features Ishu, with whom Class A is working on a new EP with. Watch this space…
“She presents a cool style to this scene with the ability to chop and change between rapping and singing, boasting and being insightful and being playful and serious. Her strength is in her versatility which, I feel, will overshadow a lot of other MCs, male and female.” – Triple J, Hip Hop Show’s Hau Latukefu
Subsketch is a Sydney based Hip Hop artist (MC & Producer), originally from the Adelaide foot hills. The Subsketch story dates back to 2002 and the short lived group Def Before Dishonour. DBD were a 3-piece consisting of DJ Mula, MC Trubador & a then 17 year old Subsketch.
Arriving out of nowhere, performing alongside some of Adelaide’s best including Delta, Terra Firma, Hilltop Hoods, After Hours and more, DBD wrote and produced an entire album before throwing it away, breaking up and vanishing as quickly as they had appeared. Subsketch cautiously re-emerged as a solo artist in 2004 with an EP detailing those missing years, The Lost Demo. He followed it up in 2006 with The Spring Clean, as the name suggests this EP featured words and beats which had accumulated over the previous 4 years, even including some never before heard cuts from the lost DBD album. Then in late 06 Subsketch was introduced to a wider audience through winning the Hilltop Hoods Initiative, which in turn funded his debut album Cheaper Than Therapy. The subsequent Therapy tour saw him performing all over Australia alongside Thorts, Class A, DJ TR!P, K21, Koolta, Rapaport, Lotek and Apsci to name a few.
Being his second full length album, The newly completed Department Of Human Services was built on an ethos of lo-fi minimalist beats & outward looking lyrics. Recorded and co-produced by acclaimed film composer Mister Benjamin Speed, mastered by Neville Clark (Hilltop, Funkoars, Terra Firma) and featuring the distinctive artwork of Jordan Clarke; the Department is his most accomplished and cohesive work to date.It is available at www.subsketch.bandcamp.com in 2 options; as a free download, or for $20 (free shipping) you get the deluxe edition that includes
- The CD - 11”x17” poster designed by Jordan Clarke - Department Sticker - Limited Edition Spring Clean EP (2006) - Immediate digital album download.
Subsketch is currently hiding out in the inner west of Sydney, he has several new projects on the boil, priorities include booking shows, hosting his fortnightly podcast at www.subsketch.blogspot.com and completing his collection of classic universal monster movies.
aahh: 2010 saw the release of your debut LP Me, Me, Me & Him, The Secret Life of a Receptionist. What so far has been the highlight of this journey? Class A MC: The highlight of the journey was seeing it out and in JB Hi Fi. That was a big goal for me- to get it in stores. It was a very long and arduous journey and to see it finished, packaged and ready for sale was an amazing feeling. After the visit to JB, we then went and drank champagne and ate lots of dumplings to celebrate. The release date in general was pretty exciting, just knowing that it was finally going out into the world was a great accomplishment for me.
aahh: Where you going for the longest hip hop album title in history? Class A MC: haha um.. I just didn’t want something that was cliché or been done before and I wanted something that gave listeners an idea of what the album is about. There were a couple of strong themes throughout the album and I wanted to fit both of those in. It has caused some confusion, and radio dj’s not being able to get it right, but I wasn’t budging. Also, it reminded me of an Atmosphere album title so I liked it.
aahh: Your versatility on the mic has been described as one your strengths and it carries on through to the album with impressive fashion. Were your intentions from the outset aimed specifically on making a versatile album? Class A MC: Why thank you! Well I get bored with the same style, I like to switch things up a lot. I did want to show my versatility and to show all sides of my personality. I also didn’t want every track to sound the same. To keep it exciting, entertaining and diverse was the plan. I was just hoping it would all fit together and that it all wasn’t too different. I had to cut a few tracks to make it work, but I was happy with it in the end.
aahh: We don’t tend to see many female emcees in Australia with such character and style, what was it that lead you into this wonderful world of hip hop? Class A MC: I started getting into hip hop about 10 years ago when I heard it on community radio for the first time. I fell in love with it and the rest is history. I was already into Snoop Dogg and Salt N Pepa and Biggie etc. I started writing and kept it a secret for a while and I finally revealed my rhymes at an open mic and started hanging out with local emcees Fatty Phew, Thorts and crew who nurtured my skills and helped me create my music. I went to an all girls private school so nobody in my school was into Australian hip hop (except for a couple of girls). I hung out in town after school with the other rappers and kept the rapping pretty quiet for a long time at school. It wasn’t until I moved to Melbourne that I started meeting other female emcees, which was great.
aahh: Subject matter was obviously an important aspect on this album. Did you have any challenges in presenting an album that didn’t isolate the larger male audience? Class A MC: Yeah I was a bit worried that boys might not like the album, but I can’t help what I write, it’s all personal experience. I try to write songs that everybody will be able to relate to, but this album was very specifically about my life as a receptionist and my relationship with boys. I knew girls would definitely be able to relate to it, but I do think there are songs that guys can enjoy as well. Everyone can relate to being stuck in a job they don’t want to be in and fantasising about a better life.
aahh: Is the sexy receptionist we hear about on the album a bit of a persona/metaphor or more of a true representation of who you are as a person? Class A MC: haha no, I’m not really a sexy receptionist. I really was a receptionist, but I was a massive nerd. I guess I can be very girly and I suppose sexual at times, but I was that bored that I just came up with some fantasies of the milkman etc. I can be a bit of a daydreamer.
aahh: You worked closely with some of the finest producers in the country on this one, including BVA, Dly Thomas and M-Phazes. In your point of view, is it vital in the creative process to be able to have that back and forth interaction/relationship with your producers? Class A MC: Yes, absolutely. I only worked with producers who are my friends as well so it makes it an easy and enjoyable process. I like working with producers in their studio and throwing ideas back and forth. That’s what works best for me and I think you get the best result from working that way. I lived with Akouo at the time, M-Phazes came over and recorded “So Bad”, and me and Dyl would talk on a regular basis about the tracks. Thank god for the internet for the times where you can’t get together, especially working with BVA (who lives in Adelaide). We became good friends after the album as we spoke so much. There was a lot of interaction between myself and the producers.
aahh: With such a range of tracks on the album, from straight up hip hop to funk and electro what were some of the most enjoyable tracks for you to record or write? Class A MC: I really enjoyed ‘So Bad’ with M-Phazes, that recording processing was fun as hell. He challenged me so much and was wouldn’t settle for anything that wasn’t the best. We ended up with a great product and in the end, that track was one of my favourites. Fitzroy was pretty enjoyable to write too, I went for drinks with Akouo during the day (he made the beat), came home and wrote the song in a fairly tipsy state. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was high off life in Fitzroy. Writing Break It Down was also memorable, as I was at a holiday house with my mum and sister and best friend and just reflecting on the year and where I was at. I was at the end of the album writing process and realising how important music was to me. That was pretty special.
aahh: Everyone wants to know, have you scored the milkman yet? Has he heard the track? Is there a milkman? Class A MC: No I haven’t. haha. After I left reception, I didn’t see him again. The new receptionist fell in love with him after I left, and now he isn’t working there anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever see him again, which is fine. It was just a fantasy! We were joking around saying we should send him the track but I decided against it, I think he might be scared of me if he finds out.
aahh: You recently went Wildside with The Tongue on his album tour, which also featured Spit Syndicate. Even more recently a few shows with Syntax. What have these tours been like? Class A MC: It was so much fun! I brought Rachael Berry and DJ Mathmatics with me for a lot of it and we had a ball. Me and Rach were like two schoolgirls on an excursion, very excited and loved doing the shows. I’d have to say Joyride would have to be one of the funniest guys on the planet, loved getting to know the boys. Brisbane, Melbourne and Freo were the highlights, they went off. Doing shows with Syntax is enjoyable as well. He is a very funny man.
aahh: We saw a spontaneous twitter battle between you and 360 earlier last year. Do you get many rappers wanting to battle or trying to spit bars at you when you’re out on the town or whatever? Class A MC: Haha yeah that was fun. There needs to be more of those. I’ve only had a couple of people trying to battle me when I’m out, but I’m a lover, not a fighter. I don’t really like battling, I don’t like dissing people for no reason. I can with 360 because he can handle anything and we give each other shit all the time anyway. If anyone tries to battle me out I just find it funny, I’m just out to have a good time really.
aahh: Without sounding to cliché, even though the question is cliché as fuck. What would your words of wisdom be to any young female looking to push their skills further or even just to start writing some raps? Class A MC: Just be yourself, make the music you want to listen to. Be proud of what you do, don’t be too hard on yourself and work really hard. Don’t let haters get to you, prove people wrong. If you believe in what you’re doing, you can hold your head up high and push your music to as many people as you can. Oh and be patient!
Following the successful release of his album A World in Progress and single Progress feat. Mantra, Ishu is releasing a second single titled World Domination feat. Elf Tranzporter.
An up-tempo hip hop tune driven by regal horns and dramatic strings, with the highly skilled veteran Elf Tranzporter on the mic. Elf Tranzporter, well known for his politically charged lyricism both solo and as part of the Melbourne hip hop outfit Combat Wombat, delves into events and ethical issues in the pharmaceutical industry and conniving corporate takeover strategies.
Much like the rest of the album, World Domination feat. Elf Tranzporter was born from Ishu’s recent travels through Europe and Asia. Collecting samples and field recordings along the way; Ishu found inspiration in every country he visited, immersing himself in local culture and sketching beats in bunk beds all over the world. Other artists on the album include Mantra, Hau (Koolism), Lotek, Class-A, Dyl Thomas (Polo Club), Pataphysics and more. Get it here via iTunes
Catch Ishu in February playing an all original, solo, live production set: 12th February 2010 Urthboy @ The Espy, St Kilda. Supports: Ishu, DJ Manchild, Lady Lash, Joelistics Tix $21.75 +bf
26th February 2010. OH NO (Stones Throw) @ Roxanne Parlour, Melbourne CBD. Supports: ISHU, Dizz1, Plutonic Lab, Aoi, DJ Bonez, Sizzle and JPS + Nam. Tix $25+bf
Back in 2008, Ishu garnered praise for the smooth, organic dub/reggae/dancehall flavours and laid-back vocals of his debut EP. Seven tracks which documented his time in Melbourne before heading abroad. Fast-forward two years later and he’s switching it up. A broadened sound palette has him charting new musical territory, using hiphop and electronic beats as his canvas. Culture-mashing boom-bap in a similar vein to local favourites Hermitude and with hints of big influences like Madlib, Hi-Tek and Bonobo, Ishu is now ready to unleash his debut album, A World In Progress.
Citing his environment as the main influence of his music, after traveling throughout Europe and Asia in 2008-09, it’s no surprise that Sydney-born hip-hop producer Ishu has returned to Australia with a bag full of fresh ideas and a new vision. Collecting samples and field recordings along the way; Ishu found inspiration in every country he visited, immersing himself in local culture and sketching beats for his forthcoming album release. Back in Melbourne, in his home studio, the finishing touches were made to bring the rough recordings to life.
This two year process produced the concept album, A World In Progress. A contemporary mix of world music soundscapes, down tempo electronic beats and heavy hip hop blends, it is an aural and sensory delight, that takes the listener on a journey. Scheduled for release in November 2010, this is an album that will appeal to hip hop and world music fans alike.
Ishu has enlisted some of Australia’s finest vocalists for the album, including Mantra, Hau, Lotek, Class-A, Elf Tranzporter, Dyl Thomas (Polo Club), Rachael Berry and Pataphysics. A World In Progress intro’s with atmospheric sounds recorded both locally in Australia and in Japan, the first and last stops on his musical journey. It’s here that Ishu sets the scene for this sonic journey; A World in Progress quoted in many languages, which are recordings of friends along the way, it is backed by a deep and heavy hip hop rhythm.
Each song on the album represents a different country visited…from the peaceful English countryside in summer contrasted with London’s coldest winter in 17 years, to India during the terrorist attacks of 2008, and the hectic city lifestyle of Hong Kong. With a portable recorder always within reach, Ishu captures the essence of places like Le Gare du Nord in Paris, the familiar Melbourne-esque trams in Basel Switzerland and the Islamic prayer calls in Istanbul Turkey.
In Prague Ishu recorded the giant metronome which stands in place of the former Soviet leader Stalin’s monument. “An interesting sight, producing an interesting sound…kind of ‘the beat of the people’, ironically very slow and mechanical”. It was this awareness of land and people that married Ishu to his tunes. Following the roots of his Lithuanian father he felt a natural connection there, meeting local MC Messiah, they together created a track with Lithuanian lyrics, that connects all races with a universal question, ‘So What Do You Really Want?’
A World in Progress, is the name, the motif, the question and the driving force behind this album. A release that can be classed as Hip-Hop, but do not be fooled in thinking this is where the musical genius stops. World music soundscapes and down tempo electronic beats make this album both fresh and original. The production is of an extremely high caliber and this only being Ishu’s second release, is proof of the talent of this young Australian producer.
Following in the footsteps of producers like Mad Professor, DJ Shadow and DJ Krush; Ishu has prepared a modern day live production of the new tunes using a computer and various other electronic contraptions. Blending each song into the next, Ishu gets hands on with the music, having full access to all elements of each song and endless effects possibilities. Always keeping things live and spontaneous, ensuring that every show is different from the last.
A World In Progress Launch Dates Dec 11th @ The Workers Club 51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy http://www.theworkersclub.com.au Doors open 8:30 $10 door or $10+bf pre-sales via moshtix Joined on stage by guest vocalists including Mantra, Class A, Lotek, Elf Tranzporter, Dyl Thomas, Rachael Berry, Pataphysics, Rae Pale, Dragonfly and Rayjah45. Pataphysics will be playing a full live set in support on the night, along with DJ sets from Elf Tranzporter and Dyl Thomas
Dec 17th @ Low Society Shush, Newtown RSL Enmore Rd Newtown Doors op 9pm (til 3am) $15+bf pre-sales via moshtix
Peats Ridge Festival Dec 29th – 31st NYE 2010/2011 @ The Dubshack
Citing his environment as the main influence of his music, it’s no surprise that Sydney-born hip-hop producer Ishu has returned to Australia with a bag full of fresh ideas and a new vision, after travelling throughout Europe and Asia in 2009. Collecting samples and field recordings along the way; Ishu found inspiration in every country he visited, immersing himself in local culture and sketching beats for his forthcoming album release. Now at his new home in Melbourne, it’s time to bring these rough drafts to life.
ISHU presents the new single ‘Progress feat. Mantra’ Back in 2008, Ishu had garnered praise for the smooth, organic dub/reggae/dancehall flavours and laid-back vocals of his debut EP. Seven tracks which documented his time in Melbourne before heading abroad. Fast-forward two years later and he’s switching it up. A broadened sound palette has him charting new musical territory, using hip-hop and electronic beats as his canvas. Culture-mashing boom-bap in a similar vein to local favourites Hermitude and Monkeymarc (Combat Wombat) with hints of big influences like Madlib, Embee (Looptroop) and Hi-Tek, get ready for the debut album, A World In Progress.
Citing his environment as the main influence of his music, after traveling throughout Europe and Asia in 2009, it’s no surprise that Sydney-born hip-hop producer Ishu has returned to Australia with a bag full of fresh ideas and a new vision. Collecting samples and field recordings along the way; Ishu found inspiration in every country he visited, immersing himself in local culture and sketching beats for his forthcoming album release. Back in Melbourne, in his home studio, the process began to bring the rough recordings to life.
This two year process produced the concept album, A World In Progress. A contemporary mix of world music soundscapes, down tempo electronic beats and heavy hip hop blends,it is an aural and sensory delight, that takes the listener on a journey across Europe. Scheduled for release in November 2010, this is an album that will appeal tohip hop and world music fans alike.
The first single to be lifted from the album is Progress, featuring well known Melbourne MC Mantra. This track was inspired by the sights and sounds of Istanbul,Turkey. Mantra’s lyrics are directly related to world progress in relation to the modern world and the ancient traditions.
To launch the album A World In Progress, there will be shows in Melbourne and Sydney: Following in the footsteps of producers like Mad Professor, DJ Shadow and DJ Krush; Ishu has prepared a modern day live production show using a laptop, Ableton and a gang of MIDI controllers. Blending each song into the next, Ishu gets hands on with the music, having full access to all elements of each song and endless effects possibilities. Keeping things live and spontaneous, ensuring that every show is different from the last.
Dec 11th @ The Workers Club 51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy http://www.theworkersclub.com.au Doors open 8:30 $12 door or $10+bf pre-sales via moshtix Joined on stage by guest vocalists including Mantra, Class A, Lotek, Elf Tranzporter, Dyl Thomas, Rachael Berry, Pataphysics, Rae Pale, Dragonfly and Rayjah45. Pataphysics will be playing a full live set in support on the night, along with DJ sets from Elf Tranzporter and Dyl Thomas
Dec 17th @ Low Society Shush, Newtown RSL Enmore Rd Newtown Doors op 9pm (til 3am) $15+bf pre-sales via moshtix
Sydney Stand Up: The Tongue drops his eagerly anticipated second single Crazy featuring Joyride. Produced by Elgusto and taken from his new album Alternative Energy, out now on Elefant Traks. Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner.
The Wildside Tour heads around the country throughout November, co-headlined by Spit Syndicate with support from Class A. In celebration the lads from Spit Syndicate have released a brand new track, for FREE download. Get that below. Tickets are available now from elefanttraks.oztix.com.au
Wildside Tour feat. The Tongue + Spit Syndicate Supported by Class A 5th November – ANU Bar, CANBERRA, 6th November – The Cambridge Hotel, NEWCASTLE, 11th November – Rocket Room, PERTH 12th November – Mojo’s Bar, FREMANTLE 13th November – Studio 146 (formerly Xomniax), ALBANY 18th November – The National Hotel, GEELONG 19th November – Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE 20th November – Rocket Bar, ADELAIDE 25th November – Alley Cat, HOBART 26th November – Step Inn, BRISBANE 27th November – Gaelic Club, SYDNEY
